Conventionally, radio receivers are used for audio stereo reproduction systems such as all-in-one stereo systems and separate stereo components, portable audio systems, car-mounted audio systems, and the like. The radio receiver receives and demodulates broadcast signals broadcast from a radio station and allows users to listen to programs and musical compositions.
On the other hand, the radio station publicizes various information about its programs on the Internet homepage. For example, the radio station broadcasts a program, and provides musical composition information as associated information about broadcast musical compositions such as their titles and artist names as well as names and numbers of CDs that record the musical compositions, to the audience in the program.
There is proposed an audio reproduction apparatus (e.g., see Patent Document 1: Jpn. Pat. Appln. No. 2003-274302) as a client terminal having the radio reception function and the Internet connection function implemented in one system that simultaneously performs listening of radio programs and acquisition of musical composition information.
This audio reproduction apparatus allows a user to listen to a program from the audio reproduction apparatus and acquire musical composition information from associated information provision servers. The musical composition information includes titles, artist names, and the like of musical compositions that are broadcast in the program.
With reference to FIG. 20, the following describes a musical composition information provision sequence. In this sequence, a client terminal CT receives a musical composition broadcasted from a radio station RS for listening. In response to an acquisition request from the client terminal CT, an associated information provision server KS provides musical composition information such as titles and artist names associated with the musical composition.
At step SP1, the radio station RS starts broadcasting musical composition A in a program. The radio station RS then proceeds to the next step SP2 to notify the associated information provision server KS that musical composition A has started to be broadcast. The radio station RS proceeds to the next step SP3.
At step SP11, the associated information provision server KS maintains a database of musical composition information about titles and artist names concerning a plurality of types of musical compositions, names and numbers of CDs that record the corresponding musical compositions, and the like. It is necessary to provide the client terminal CT with musical composition information associated with musical composition A notified from the radio station RS. Specifically, the musical composition information including the title and artist names, the name and the number of the CD that records musical composition A. For this purpose, the associated information provision server KS updates the previous musical composition information to new musical composition information, and then proceeds to the next step SP12.
At step SP21, the client terminal CT receives musical composition A broadcasted by the radio station RS at step SP1 so that the user can listen to it. At step SP22, the client terminal CT performs polling by sending an acquisition request for the musical composition information such as titles and artist names to the associated information provision server KS at an interval of 30 seconds. The client terminal CT then proceeds to the next step SP23.
The associated information provision server KS maintains the musical composition information to be provided in advance. At step SP12, in response to the acquisition request from the client terminal CT, the associated information provision server KS provides the client terminal CT with that musical composition information about musical composition A via the Internet 2. The associated information provision server KS then proceeds to the next step SP13.
At step SP23, the client terminal CT uses a liquid crystal display or the like to display the musical composition information provided from the associated information provision server KS. Doing this allows the user to recognize the musical composition information such as the title and artist names about the musical composition A broadcasted in the program. The client terminal CT then proceeds to the next step SP24.
At step SP3, the radio station RS stops broadcasting musical composition A. At step SP4, the radio station RS terminates the current program that broadcast musical composition A, starts broadcasting the next program, and then proceeds to the next step SP5.
At step SP24, after a time lapse of 30 seconds from the previous acquisition request, the client terminal CT re-issues an acquisition request for musical composition information to the associated information provision server KS.
At step SP13, the associated information provision server KS provides the client terminal CT with the musical composition information as is about musical composition A broadcasted in the previous program though the radio station RS already started broadcasting the next program. The reason is that, though the program to broadcast musical composition A has terminated, the musical composition information for musical composition A is not updated and remains scheduled to be provided.
At step SP25, the client terminal CT receives the next program from the radio station RS for listening. Nevertheless, the client terminal CT acquires and displays the musical composition information about musical composition A broadcasted in the previous program, and then proceeds to the next step SP26.
Thereafter, at step SP5, the radio station RS starts broadcasting musical composition B in the next program. At the following step SP6, the radio station RS notifies the associated information provision server KS that musical composition B has started to be broadcast.
At step SP14, the associated information provision server KS reads the musical composition information about musical composition B from the database. The musical composition information about musical composition A is currently scheduled to be provided. The associated information provision server KS updates the musical composition information about musical composition A to that about musical composition B. The associated information provision server KS then proceeds to the next step SP15.
At step SP26, the client terminal CT follows the polling interval to re-issue an acquisition request for the musical composition information to the associated information provision server KS. The client terminal CT then proceeds to the next step SP27.
At step SP15, the associated information provision server KS responds to the acquisition request from the client terminal CT and provides the client terminal CT with the updated musical composition information about musical composition B. At step SP27, the client terminal CT acquires and displays the musical composition information about musical composition B.
As mentioned above, the radio station RS changes broadcast of the current program to the next as a lapse of time according to the conventional musical composition information provision sequence. In this case, the associated information provision server KS is provided with no notification from the radio station RS until the broadcast of musical composition A changes to that of musical composition B. The associated information provision server KS still keeps the musical composition information about musical composition A as the information to be provided next and does not update it. Consequently, the associated information provision server KS provides the musical composition information about the musical composition A in response to an acquisition request from the client terminal CT though the information is irrelevant to the currently on-air next program.
For this reason, the client terminal CT is subject to inconsistency between the next on-air program from the radio station RS and the musical composition information supplied from the associated information provision server KS. This causes inconvenience to users.